1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to hinge assemblies and, more particularly, to a hinge assembly with a restricting unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electronic device such as a mobile phone, a notebook computer, or a personal digital assistant (PDA) commonly has a main body and a cover. The cover has a display, and is pivotally mounted on the main body via a hinge assembly.
The hinge assembly includes a first bracket, a second bracket, a swivel mechanism, and two pivot mechanisms. A bottom end of the swivel mechanism is perpendicularly and movably attached to the middle of the first bracket. An opposite top end of the swivel mechanism is fixedly attached to the middle of the second bracket. The pivot mechanisms are horizontally positioned at opposite ends of the second bracket. The bottom end of the swivel mechanism includes a restricting member. A restricting portion is formed at an edge of the restricting member. A limiting protrusion extends from the first bracket adjacent to the swivel mechanism. The restricting portion and the limiting protrusion cooperatively define a range of angles of rotation of the second bracket relative to the first bracket. In use, the first bracket is connected to the main body, and the pivot mechanisms are connected to the cover. The first bracket is also known as a mounting bracket, and the second bracket is also known as a rotatable bracket.
The rotation angle range between the rotatable bracket and the mounting bracket is defined and limited by the restricting portion of the restricting member and the limiting protrusion of the mounting bracket. Typically, the cover connected to the pivot mechanisms cannot rotate through fully 360 degrees relative to an axis of the swivel mechanism. That is, an electronic device utilizing the hinge assembly may not be convenient to use.
Therefore, a hinge assembly to solve the aforementioned problems is desired.